Chonburi’s Provincial Livestock Office marked the annual World Rabies Day event by offering free vaccinations to dogs and cats in Nongprue.
Livestock Office official Nipon Khemklad emceed the Sept. 19 event which also included exhibitions on rabies and zoonosis, lectures for 200 students, and lessons on how to treat bites from dogs and cats.
While only 20 people a year die of rabies in Thailand, about a half-million are bitten by animals and require treatment. In 2013, five people have died of rabies.
Veterinarians provide neutering and free rabies vaccines to celebrate World Rabies Day Sept. 19.
Thailand has tried to curb rabies through the Alliance for Rabies Control Organization set up in 2006. It consists of a team of veterinarians, scientists and people of various international occupations. They provide knowledge and understanding about feeding dogs and protecting against rabies.
World Rabies Day, Sept. 19, marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur successfully curing his second rabies patient.
